October 18, 2022

MEDICINE AND FOLKLORE  History’s Vampire Autopsies  In 1892, several men gathered in a rural Rhode Island cemetery to dig up a family of vampires. A medical examiner was on call to perform an autopsy on a suspected vampire—but not to find evidence of vampirism, but to debunk a superstition. Vampire autopsies like this were not entirely uncommon, and reflect how desperately we seek answers in the face of something unexplainable. READ MORE →   SPOOKY SCIENCE Why Do Mirrors Freak Us Out? Legends about the powers of mirrors go way back, according to Binghamton University folklorist Elizabeth Tucker, who focuses on the supernatural. Ancient Romans believed that mirrors had the ability to trap the soul; the ancient Greek myth of Narcissus tells us that he wasted away gazing at himself. These days, mirrors are said to bring forth something scary, and are a common horror film trope. What is it about these shiny surfaces that unnerves us so? READ MORE →   KUTNA HORA, CZECHIA Sedlec Ossuary "Bone Church" The 40,000 to 70,000 skeletons within Sedlec Ossuary (aka Kostnice Ossuary Beinhaus) in the Czech Republic welcome you, quite literally, with open arms. In addition to a splendid bone chandelier composed of almost every bone in a human body, the ossuary displays two large bone chalices, four baroque bone candelabras, and other bone-centric designs. READ MORE →   ATLAS OBSCURA COURSES Explore the Art of Perfumery In this course, Saskia Wilson-Brown of The Institute for Art and Olfaction will take us on a comprehensive, aromatic tour of the world of perfumery. You'll have the chance to explore fragrance families, materials of natural and synthetic origin, and lab work—and create several short perfume formulas. ENROLL TODAY →   GASTRO OBSCURA Ghost Towns, Delectable Treats What’s there to see in a ghost town? Well, for one, historical buildings frozen in time, artifacts, and in some cases, ghosts. But for a few ghost towns, new eateries have popped up to inject life into these forgotten spaces while also honoring their histories. Here are 8 ghost towns you can visit for both food and spirits. READ MORE →   LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND Liverpool’s Luxurious Loos For many, the real draw of the Liverpool Philharmonic Dining Rooms is the gentlemen’s toilets. The floor is covered with another mosaic design, and the urinals are carved out of rose-colored marble. No wonder that in Notes From A Small Island, Bill Bryson wrote, “there is no place in the world finer for a pee than the ornate gents’ room of the Philharmonic.” READ MORE →   FREE MEMBERS-ONLY EVENT Making Friends With Bugs Do you squirm at the sight of a spider? Shriek at the sound of a bee? Scream from a brush with a beetle? Dr. Aaron Rodriques is here to quell your fears... and introduce you to some of his friends! In this educational show-and-tell experience, you'll get to virtually meet and greet some of his closest crawling companions and discover that they're not so scary after all. Not a member yet? You can sign up during the RSVP process for this event. BECOME A MEMBER TODAY→   ATLAS OBSCURA PUZZLES Escape the Catacombs The Paris Catacombs are a real-life maze on their own, consisting of nearly 200 miles of curious underground passages, some lined to the ceiling with the remains of some six to seven million people. Today, we’re bringing that maze-like quality to life with a challenge from record-holding maze-maker Michelle Boggess-Nunley, who’s designed this maze for you to solve. PLAY NOW →   INDOOROOPILLY, AUSTRALIA Walter Taylor Bridge Located between Indooroopilly and Chelmer in Brisbane’s western suburbs, the Walter Taylor Bridge is the only habitable bridge in the Southern Hemisphere. The pillar of this bridge contains a small home and underneath, a ballroom. Unusual home: check. READ MORE →   SPONSORED BY VISIT SEATTLE Fremont’s Quirky, Funky World  Seattle is known for a lot of things: great coffee, beautiful landscapes, and amazing people, just to name a few. The neighborhood of Fremont takes all of that and dials it up to eleven, putting on a show for the most curious wanderer willing to look a little harder under the hood. From a troll lurking under a bridge to a workshop turned music school, there’s lots to indulge even the most wondrous wanderer in Fremont.  WATCH NOW →